Flowers for Algernon

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Progress Report 11 to 15

Progress Report 11 Summary

Charlie wonders how he could have failed to notice Alice’s beauty earlier. On their date to the movies, he wants to put his arm around her but is too nervous. The film itself is terrible, with an unrealistic, unimaginative happy ending, and Charlie is angry about it. He calls the film a “lie,” and Alice comments that he is “coming along fast.” Over dinner, Charlie confesses to Alice that he has feelings for her. She says that they should just keep their relationship professional. Charlie struggles painfully with his emotions, and is frustrated that none of the books he reads offer any solutions about how to deal with these feelings. Charlie has a memory in which he was punished for looking at his sister changing, and then for looking at her underwear in the laundry hamper after she had started her period. He remembers something about a knife, but can’t piece it all together yet. He knows that these memories are connected with the anxiety that comes up around his feelings for Alice, but he can’t quite piece it all together yet.

Charlie sees Gimpy shortchanging the register at work and is terribly upset. He can’t believe that Gimpy would steal from a man as good and kind as Mr. Donner. He doesn’t want to turn him in, though, because he’s worried that Gimpy will get fired and he has a family to support. Charlie asks Strauss and Nemur what he should do, but they give him very different answers. Finally, he goes to Alice and she explains that this is a moral dilemma and that only he can come up with the right answer for himself. Charlie asks Alice to go on another date, and she is hesitant. He gets her to agree, however, and as he leaves her apartment, he realizes that he is in love with her.

Charlie solves his moral dilemma by pulling Gimpy aside and letting him know that a “friend” saw Gimpy stealing and that if he doesn’t stop, the “friend” will have no choice but to tell Mr. Donner. Gimpy is furious, but Charlie feels...

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